blocked ramrod hole...HELP!

What I would do in this case would be to eliminate the through front lock bolt and install a metal clip into the lock "nose" inlet that would fit into an angled slot filed in the "nose" of the lockplate which would retain the front of the lock. From the sidepate side, use the existing lock bolt but thread up to the head, cut off the excess and use an embedded, epoxied, slotted nut to retain the "nose" of the[url] sideplate.In[/url] affect, the head of the bolt is a "fake" lock bolt. Thought of doing this on a Lehigh where there's no room between the RR hole and bottom of the bbl inlet......Fred

Flehto's suggestion for a dummy front lock bolt is exactly what I would do. Most locks, even flintlocks, function just fine with only one lock bolt. I have a flintlock that was made in 1976 and has thousands of shots through it with no detriment and it only has the rear lock bolt. The front bolt is just a dummy installed for looks.

Randy Hedden

plug and redrill. OR, cut down into the wood from the barrel channel and deepen the rod groove as necessary (some of the precarve people rout their r.r. holes this way). When the groove is cut so that the rod goes under the bolt, you can make a piece of wood to go back in place over top of the rod and glue it in with GOOD epoxy.

I have used this method of going in through the barrel channel a few times and it isnt even noticable if you inlet the plug carefully.

I am Spanish, please could you said to me the gun marks and caliber is possible that I have some parts

I would prefer to plug and redrill (now), but cutting down from the barrel channel is practically simpler and more foolproof.

Plug the hole with the same wood the stock is made of. If desired, you can drill a starter hole in the end of the plug before insertion a bit off center to help persuade the drill bit to go in the direction you want it to.

Now, cutting down from the barrel channel has less potential for disaster (if you're careful). If you have the slab of wood that came off the top of the stock when it was cut down to inlet the barrel, you can use the wood from this and the grain will be going the same direction and if it is fitted carefully, it will be almost invisible...not that it matters as it is completely inside the barrel channel.

Figure the desired depth for the bottom of the rod hole and using a depth gauge, drill/cut down to ALMOST this depth and use a small gouge to clean up the bottom. An "ingouge" is the best tool to use here. I believe Track of the Wolf (or somebody) sells a dog-leg ingouge that is perfect for doing this. BE CAREFUL and make sure you have about an eighth inch of wood left below the rod.

When your "hole" is where you want it, and the rod can just barely go under the front lock bolt, then you can make a piece of wood to glue back in on top of the rod to solidify the fore end again. Clean up the sides of your "routed" rod channel and get them pretty straight, and cut a piece of wood to fit down in place. Leave it oversize (vertically) so that you have a handle to put it in and pull it back out with. I even cut a groove on the bottom of the wood to sit on top of the rod. When satisfied with the fitting, take a steel/brass rod the right size and wax it up real good and insert it in the rod hole. Get a GOOD quality epoxy (Brownell's Acra glas is probably the best for this type of thing) and glue the block in place, clamping it down on top of the rod all the way up and down (not too terribly tightly). Let it set up to where the epoxy is "stiff", but not nearly all the way hardened. (the acra glas will begin to get stiff in just about 10 or 15 minutes, so you have to watch it.) When it is stiff, pull (hard) the rod out. If you let it get fully hard, the epoxy won't have any sprininess left in it, and it can be VERY hard to get the rod back out, no matter how well waxed the rod is. I put the loose end of the rod in the vise and pull the stock off the rod. Sometimes it takes some real doin' as there's a lot of friction on that rod.

If necessary, you can clean up/deepen the hole with the ram rod drill.

Hopefully that all made sense.

This is how I used to do all my guns before I FINALLY got the hang of drilling the rod holes (only after about 15 years of building guns...).

Trampero, the parts were from The Rifle Shoppe in Oklahoma. I BELIEVE the website is[url] www.therifleshoppe.com[/url]
They have a very good catalog that is nice just for reference. They have several Spanish gun parts sets. If you order anything from them, ask them if the parts are actually in stock, otherwise, you could be in for a pretty long wait!

Hi, I know it, ardesa/traditions are really bad on service. I have a lot of parts of weapons because i bought its in the Rastro (a great street market in Madrid) long time ago. If you need it email me.

:hatsoff:

Victor
P.D.:TwoBirds. Now Texas is more Spanish than Madrid

The last one I had way out of alignment like that I took a RR blank the same size as the RR hole & cut it off so it was just a tad longer than the length of the hole in the forestock. Then took it to the belt sander & ground a long taper from the entrypipe end toward the other end, starting with nothing thickness at the entrypipe end & going about 6-7" to no taper.

Drilled a hole into the RR hole ar the end of it, under where the triggerguard inlet so it would be hidden later.

Swabbed the RR hole with stainable wood glue & the flared RR piece I ground the bevel on & pushed it into the hole & the lil peep hole I had drilled under the triggerguard let out the excess glue.

Let it dry 24 hrs & then set up my RR drill in the barrel channel. Started drilling in the RR hole in the entry area & the taper on the cut RR guided the bit down towards where I needed it to be & I drilled a new RR hole.

I don't think it was all a new hole as I think part of it drilled into the RR piece I had installed, how much I don't know. I do know the RR piece was harder wood than the walnut stock, so I feel most of it went into the walnut. But I know is this worked & my bolt cleared the RR hole now & with this piece glued into it, it is as strong if not stronger than it was originally.

Also, it should be noted that I did this BEFORE I finished the rifle. Since you have already finished the rifle, I would not do this as you have too much to lose now. You should always check the RR hole length & dia & etc WITH a RR blank you are going to use & have all the RR pipes & entrypipe on the rifle, lock in place & lockbolts in, & insure it is all working OK & to the depth you need Before you go any further.



For what you have now I would do one of three things.

1: I would put a drill into the RR hole with the bolt in it & see just where for sure it hits. If it is hitting off center, most likely you can cut a halfmoon in the bolt & the RR will pass. Then you mark a lil nick in the bolt head to the down side & when you remove the lock, remove the RR, take the lock off. Upon installing the lock, line the notch on the bolt head at the bottom so it has the groove in the bolt shaft in the proper piosition.

2: Same as above but if it will not clear the bolt, taper the RR slowly on the last 8" of the RR so it will clear the bolt.

3: Leave it alone & when ya shoot add a 2" brass RR entension to the RR & forget about it. MBS & several others have them & they don't cost but a couple of bucks & the brass would not burn as you shoot, where a longer wooden rod would burn from the muzzleblast. Buy one, screw it on the RR, put the RR in the barrel & mark it about 1/4 - 1/2 longer than the bore depth & then cut it off, round off the edges. Retap the end of the brass for a rod puller if ya want.

Well, another thought I had at the time was to make one out of steel rod, insert it & at the hole under the triggerguard have a screw into the rod to hold it in place, as when the drill hits that rod it may want to turn it, so somehow you have to hold it. This would make the guide reuseable. But I didn;t have a 3/8" steel rod avail at the time & did have the wood one.

I think if I was you I would live with the RR extension. :wink: